Cool StuffOccasionally we stumble upon some pretty cool hot dog related stuff and wish to share this with our visitors. Some of the information on this page is related to companies which sell hot dog related items or services. These products/services and their respective companies are not endorsed by or affiliated with Hot Dog Chicago Style in any manner whatsoever. We do not benefit either directly or indirectly from the purchase of these products/services. Information for items we think are cool is provided as a convenience to our visitors. Now that we have the legal stuff out of the way, bring on the cool stuff!

The Hot Dog Song
Check out a song about Chicago Style hot dogs which was written by our friend Brian Morse from AquaMunkee Studios. Our website served as the inspiration for this song and is one of Brian's entries into this year's February Album Writing Month (FAWM) challenge. Click on the "play" button to listen. Note: If the player does not work, Click Here to listen.

Attend Hot Dog U's School of Mobile Food ServiceHot Dog University is the only business school where you can learn the knowledge and trade secrets necessary to successfully launch your career in the mobile food service business. This is the place to go if you are considering running a hot dog cart. We had no idea such a place existed until we were contacted by Mark Reitman, the founder and instructor at Hot Dog U. Kevin and I hope to one day attend their class and earn a diploma.

The Chicago Reader has an interesting article about Mark and Hot Dog U (click here). The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also ran an article about Mark (click here). To learn more, visit HotDogU.com

Our Visit to the Red Hot Chicago FactoryWe were lucky to have been invited to tour the Red Hot Chicago factory to see how hot dogs are manufactured. We had a wonderful visit and enjoyed meeting Scott and Billy Ladany from RHC. Click Here to read all about our exciting factory tour!

There's an App for that!
Now there is an easy way to find a great Chicago Style hot dog while on the road. Introducing the Vienna Beef Hot Dog Stand Locator for the iPhone. Wherever you live or travel, you can search for restaurants that serve the authentic Chicago Style hot dog from Vienna Beef, then get directions, call them, visit their website, and add to your contact list. In addition, you can learn the history of Vienna Beef, review the key ingredients of a Chicago style hot dog and even report a "ketchup violation" to Vienna Beef headquarters. Click Here to learn more and also download this free free application for the iPhone.

Dog Gone Cool!While visiting Scottsdale, Arizona, I stumbled across the "Green Monster". I was driving around looking for some lunch when out of nowhere a green SWAT-like truck with a hot dog guy on the roof caught my eye. Of course, I had to stop and check it out. The Green Monster serves Fenway Franks and is decked out with photos and memorable moments of the Boston Red Sox and Celtics sports teams. Unfortunately, the truck was just parked there so I did not get to try a Fenway Frank. After a quick Google search, I traced the truck to Foster's Seafood...a traditional New England seafood restaurant. I contacted the owner (Bill Deacon) and received the following response:

"I grew up in Boston as a fan of the Red Sox, and great hot dog stands that are everywhere in New England. I didn't realize until I came to Arizona that a top-split hot dog roll ONLY exists in New England. The famous Fenway frank features these great rolls, and since I opened a New England seafood house, I decided to bring both the dogs and buns in from New England. We use the truck for several charitable catering events here in the Valley, as well as Little League outings, etc. We keep the truck in front of our restaurant, and as you can imagine, we get many, many comments."

Hot Dog Vending Machine This is really impressive! Click Here to check out the HD3000 hot dog vending machine from LHD Vending Products. This cool machine uses patented, advanced technology to serve a freshly grilled hot dog on a warm bun. It would be great if they could adapt their vending machine to produce Chicago style dogs. Their website has a very cool interactive graphic that lets you look inside the vending machine and learn about the various internal components. While visiting their website, check out the FAQ page for some good information about the machine and how it works.

Hot Dog Flavored Potato ChipsMitch's wife was at Costco (Middleton location) and found some Shearer's brand Hot Dog flavored potato chips. Of course, we had to try them out. This novelty item was quite a hit at work. Many were eager to give them a try, but a few couldn't get over the concept of a hot dog flavored chip and passed on the opportunity. The overall opinion is that they are pretty good. It is difficult to explain what they taste like, but here is my best shot. Your first bite has a strong taste of mustard and then after the mustard subsides, you can actually taste some hot dog and relish. Here is a product description from the Shearer's Website:

The bases are loaded...and so are these chips! Shearer's Rippled Home Run Hot Dog Potato Chips are loaded with the classic, loaded hot dog flavor of plump, juicy Sugardale beef wieners smothered with mustard and relish.

Wherever you are, this special limited edition flavor will take you out to the ball game, because nothing goes better with chips than a hot dog at the park. Now you can get this taste doubleheader in one bag! Do the wave as you cheer on your favorite team - and your favorite meal - with wave after wave of rippled V's and the home team's favorite home run hot dog taste. Whether you step up to the plate and pour 'em on or reach right into the bag for "The bite with might™," you'll cheer these taste champions. Have them as is or turn any dip into a champion with Shearer's Rippled Home Run Hot Dog Potato Chips. Grab a bag, round third, and head for home.

Pizza - Hot Dog Chicago Style?Really? Yes, it's true. While making some homemade pizza Kevin got the inspiration to create a pizza with a twist. Checkout Kevin's latest culinary creation.Click Here to see his Chicago Style Pizza masterpiece. There is also a recipe included so you can be the envy of all your friends and make your very own pizza at home. I can almost hear Julia Childs now, Bon Appetit!

Chicago Hot Dog Stands ViewMaster Reel
This is kind of cool. Grab your VIewMaster and check out some of Chicago's iconic hot dog stands in 3-D. One of our visitors contacted us about their Chicago Hot Dog Stands ViewMaster reel and booklet.

Chicago is said to have about 1,800 independent hot dog stands, more than all franchised fast food chains combined. Every neighborhood has its favorite local hangout, with a slightly different take on the classic Chicago hot dog, and its own unique look and style.

Read the story of Chicago’s hot dog in the included 8-page booklet, and visit a few of the many interesting hot dog stands with this 3-dimensional photo tour. For more information, Click Here.

In the Mood for a Huge Hot Dog?Head on over to the new indoor miniature golf course at Vitense Golfland and check out the Hot Dog slide! Your kids will love it...and so will you. The Madison themed course showcases many of Madison's famous landmarks and businesses. Although the Vitense website claims that the centerpiece of the course is the Capitol building, we would have to politely disagree and choose the giant Hot Dog. The Dog is topped with ketchup and mustard. Hey, it's not a Chicago Dog, but it still looks mighty tasty!

Vitense Golfland is located on the west side of Madison at 5501 Schroeder Rd (West Beltline and Whitney Way). Website:www.vitense.comPhone: (608) 271-1411

Hungry? Speaking of huge hot dogs, check out this 7 pound, 16" long hot dog. It's not 100% beef so it is not suited for a Chicago Style Dog. The BigHotDog.com website states that this dog is great for tailgating, football parties, BBQs, family reunions, novelty gifts and for hot dog lovers of all ages. The BIG HOT DOG measures 16" long and 4" in diameter and is made of 100% veal, beef, pork, every Tuesday in Chicago, Illinois. The BIG HOT DOG differs from normal "tiny" hotdogs, in that it is 50 times bigger, weighs 7 lbs and has 50 servings. The company sent us a sample hot dog and we used it for a departmental lunch. Click Here to check out what we created with our 7 pound dog.

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Although we have never seen the bumper sticker, "My Other Car is a Wienermobile", there are a handful of people who can actually say that. We are pretty sure that everyone knows what a Wienermobile is, but in case you have been living under a rock, here is a brief rundown from the Oscar Mayer website: "One of America's most popular attractions, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was first created in 1936 to promote Oscar Mayer's products at grocery stores across the Midwest. As the company grew, it continued its record run, traveling from coast to coast until 1970. Then, in 1986, on the 50th anniversary of it's first run, the Wienermobile went on tour again, and it's been on a roll ever since!" The lucky drivers are called "HotDoggers". Every year, new HotDoggers are selected. There are about 7 Wienermobiles covering different parts of the country. Click Here for a blog run by the HotDoggers. You can hear their stories of life on the road with the Wienermobile and even see the current location of the Wienermobiles. Click Here to see some of our photos of the Wienermobile fleet.

Leaner Wiener - Downsized Wienermobile Sing a long with me..."My Wienermobile has a first name, it's M-I-N-I. My Wienermobile has a second name, it's C-O-O-P-E-R.". Yes it is true, Oscar Mayer has unveiled a smaller Wienermobile built on a Mini Cooper S frame. Click Here for more information about it. While we're talking Wienermobile, there is a Blog that highlights some of the traffic related incidents with the Wienermobile. Click Here for the article.

We are Mentioned in a BookIn 2005, Mary Bergin, a writer for the Capital Times newspaper did a feature story about our Hot Dog Chicago Style website. At the time, we had just launched the website and had only a few dog reviews. In 2008, Mary published the book, "Hungry for Wisconsin: A Tasty Guide for Travelers", which included part of the original feature story. The book is desctibed as a guide for the hungry traveler, looking for wonderful culinary experiences or familiar and favorite comfort foods. Hungry for Wisconsin: A Tasty Guide for Travelers celebrates the people, places and foods that define this part of the world.We were invited to the book launch party. The book is available on Amazon.

A Hot Dog ProgramOur friends at PBS have created a show all about Hot Dogs appropriately titled, "A Hot Dog Program". It's an all-American celebration of those fabulous and phenomenally popular little sausages in their soft little buns. Whether you like your dog with mustard and sauerkraut, chili and cheese, or with the "works," this program is sure to please. For more information, or to buy the DVD,Click Here.

What is the Proper Geometrical Shape Used to Describe a Hot Dog?Well, this certainly sounds like a great topic for a philosophy class discussion. This question must be weighing heavy on many minds since a quick Google search found an abundance of sites trying to answer this very question. Here are a few of the answers:

A cylinder with hemispheres on both ends.

A truncated cylinder capped on each end by hemispheres.

Circular Cylindrical Capsule.

If you would like to calculate the Volume of your Hot Dog, here is an Online Calculator.

At the Movies"How can I trust a man who won't eat a good old-fashioned American hot dog?". --From the movie S.W.A.T., starring Samuel L Jackson.

"I can't forget it. I am sorry. I had no idea it was your cab. Let me make it up to you. How about a nice hot dog and a beer." --From Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

"Eat the hot dog, don't be one!". --From Steel.

"I want to buy eight hot dogs and eight hot dog buns to go with them. But no one sells eight hot dog buns. They only sell twelve hot dog buns. So I end up paying for four buns I don't need. So I am removing the superfluous buns. Yeah. And you want to know why? Because some big-shot over at the wiener company got together with some big-shot over at the bun company and decided to rip off the American public. Because they think the American public is a bunch of trusting nit-wits who will pay for everything they don't need rather than make a stink." --From Father of the Bride.

"Encased meat is my life. There is not an emotion on earth that can't be expressed through sausage". --From When in Rome (Danny DeVito)

HumorWhat did the Zen Buddhist say to the Hot Dog vendor? "Make me one with everything".

You might already be a redneck if your idea of a seven-course meal is a six pack and a hot dog.

Why did the man put a sweater on his Hot Dog? Because it was a chili dog.

May the dragon of life only roast your hot-dogs and never burn your buns!

Hot Dog Festivals and EventsNathan's Famous Forth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Every year, this competitve eating contest draws contestants from all over the world. In 2007, six-time defending champion Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi was beaten by Joey Chestnut, who won by eating a record-breaking 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Click Herefor more information on Nathan's and their annual hot dog eating competition.